Susan Raber Bray: Artist's Statement

My current work has been influenced by my fascination with Etruscan art. Little is known of the Etruscans – their language and place of origin or culture. Their civilization prospered between 950 – 300 B.C. in northwestern Italy.

I had the opportunity to live in Tuscany for a year, and as I roamed the countryside, I was always drawn to the Etruscan black, incised pottery and terra cotta sculptures, collecting small pieces throughout my stay. I feel their work has a playfulness to it. I have been surrounded by these few pieces for many years and am only now beginning to see them seep into my work.

Art is such a powerful medium, capable of transcending time, capable of inspiring and teaching endless future civilizations. As I have learned more about the Etruscans my thoughts have turned inward, contemplating societal and personal rituals. What are my own rituals? My own symbols? And, how can I express and explore this sacredness in my own work? Each of my sculptures have been made with a white clay body, painted with colored slip and burnished with terrasigilatta. They have been fired in a pit kiln with sawdust and straw.